What Is Marriott Bonvoy Cobalt Status?

The other week, we wrote about the most exclusive Marriott Bonvoy invitation-only Ambassador Elite 5-Star (read more here).

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a question about the other status that is extended by Marriott’s leadership, Cobalt status.

You can access Marriott’s page for various status levels here.

READ MORE: Marriott Bonvoy Rate & Bonus Points And Miles Promotions

Here’s how Marriott describes Cobalt:

The Cobalt program is a legacy program of The Ritz-Carlton that was expanded in 2019 to provide recognition across the Marriott portfolio.

The program is an invitation-only, unpublished program with Marriott International’s President & CEO, Arne Sorenson, as the program sponsor. Nominations for membership can only be submitted by continent presidents and direct reports of Marriott International’s President & CEO.

The program goal is to recognize Marriott’s current and potential most-valuable guests and business relationships to drive portfolio awareness and share shift. Cobalt members receive Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite membership, including access to the Ambassador Service and exclusive access to elevated services at luxury brands.

Cobalt benefits:

Marriott Ambassador 5-Stars:

Marriott Bonvoy’s Most Exclusive Status?

Conclusion

The main advantage for Cobalt members over Ambassador is complimentary Club Lounge access at Ritz-Carlton hotels. Other soft benefits are outlined in the documents above.

It seems that these Cobalt benefits are pretty much the same as original invitation-only SPG Ambassador program; the actual Ambassador benefits have now been watered down to nothing much.